Black Hour
by LucJig
Summary: He survived many dark moments in his young life, but never had he had such nightmares since that one failed quest. The following sixty minutes had been the worst he could remember. And his scars...
1. Zora's Waters

_Hello, readers, welcome to a brand new story!_

_I've always loved the Zelda series, but only recently have I actually gotten into it enough to where I'm writing fanfics and such. I hope it goes over well. Consider yourself warned: this isn't a happy story, and I doubt it will end happily. Perhaps a sequel will come of it that will have a lighter note, but we'll see. _

_So this fic is rather short, since, as the title implies, the story takes place over the span of a mere hour. It should go for about ten chapters._

_FYI: at the beginning of each chapter is a little note to say how much time has passed._

_Okay, enough of me talking. There's a story to read here._

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_**Zora's Waters**_

_Time :00_

The sky had never looked so blue. And what few clouds that were in his line of vision shone pearlescent. Life seemed to take on an unrealistic lustre. He must really be fading...

But no, he had to stay awake...somehow. He had to keep his breathing steady. He was, after all, floating on the surface of deep water. In his state, any faulty or panicked move would kill him. It's not as bad as it sounds, being that he was already half dead. But he wanted to live. He had already gone through so much during his young life. He wanted to know what else was out there to experience. He had just lived through the worst nightmare, anyway. Well, to be honest with himself, he was still living through this worst nightmare.

Link floated in the middle of Termina's Great Bay. His limbs were spread out as he floated. There was nothing else he could do. Numerous wounds marred his body, but the two deep gashes in his midsection were what really had his blood flowing. He had nothing to staunch his injuries, but even if he did, he wouldn't have the strength to treat himself. He couldn't even swim to shore. He could hardly breathe. This feeling of helplessness was new to him, being out in the open, with two buildings in earshot that housed people who would gladly help him. But still he bled.

Though his mind was fading, it still rang out a single urgent message: get to Hyrule. Link had no idea why he had to. At this point, all he wanted was an end for the pain. An end that did not lead to death. It already seemed that he wouldn't see his homeland again if he delayed any longer. Still he floated, however. There was nothing he could do to move, unless he wanted to drown.

And then Link felt the water ripple against him. Something had surfaced nearby. He slowly turned his head from side to side, trying to locate the source of the disturbance. Another skullfish? A desbreko? He felt panic begin to well up in him. He was in no shape to be attacked. Link kept still, hoping whatever it was would pass him by.

But it didn't. The next moment, he felt two hands take hold of his shoulders. Without thinking, Link reacted, flailing his arms. The effort didn't amount to much, except for submerging his head completely. He struggled with a little more strength, but only managed to feebly wave his limbs. The hands had relinquished their grip, but Link was now faced with the task of getting out from under water. His body wouldn't surface despite his efforts, and Link felt his heart sink along with the rest of him.

And then the hands were back, one under his shoulders, the other under his head. He was lifted up quickly, and his face broke above the surface of water. Gasping and sputtering, he managed to get the water out of his mouth and nose, but found it difficult to regain balance. He didn't have to, however, as whatever was holding him helped keep him steady.

And then it spoke, "Stay calm, there. I think I owe you this favour anyway."

Link did calm down, and took slow, deep breaths, partly to get more oxygen in, and partly out of relief. He could sense no foul intent from the speaker.

"Now just relax," came the unknown voice again. "And let me bring you out of the water. You can be on your way then."

Link felt the hands on his shoulders again, and this time he let himself be taken, dragged along the surface towards the shore. He craned his head back to see who it was that was rescuing him, and caught a glimpse of a Zoran figure. Link blinked hard, and tried to get a closer look. He couldn't quite focus on the creature. It was definitely there, but was somehow semi-transparent. A spirit, perhaps. But how would a ghost be able to touch and move him?

He felt himself grow suddenly dizzy, and closed his eyes and dropped the subject. He didn't have the energy to worry over whether he was seeing a ghost or not. The fact was that he was being brought out of the water.

And then he was on dry sand, laying on his back. He pressed his hand against his wound.

Link rolled gradually over and slowly lifted himself to his knees, and inspected his side. It was dripping red and caked with wet sand. He felt himself grow faint again, and returned his hand to the injury. There was still nothing to stop the bleeding; he only carrying a few weapons and his treasured instrument. The midsection of his shirt was reddening with blood; his wet body coated with the fine sand. Link looked up to quickly inspect the beach, but it was empty even of the Leevers. Only the seagulls flew overhead, circling over the fish skeleton erected in Mikau's memory.

Another wave of nausea came over him, and he knew he had to hurry. Link attempted to lift himself further, but only resulted to falling all the way back onto his face. He let out a pained sigh, his breath blowing the sand from around his mouth. After a moment, he rolled himself over slightly, just enough to lift his face out of the dirt.

A soft shade fell over his face, and he opened his eyes slowly. A figure stood to the side of him, looking him over. He turned to meet the other's gaze, but his view was obscured by sunlight. The figure wasn't entirely there...

Link gazed at the apparition, the Zora who had saved him. It wasn't some trick of his mind, for though the figure's opacity was minimal, it still casted its own shadow. A song was playing; the song that a young girl had written, a girl from some distant land. The Zora had its guitar out. Link looked into the creature's eyes, past the glare of the bright sun. A realization vaguely struck him. Was this him? Is this what the Zora mask had transformed him into? Or perhaps it was Mikau, remembering what the figure had told him out on the water. ..._I owe you this favour anyway...__  
_

Whatever the truth was, Link still had enough awareness to know that he only had about an hour before any trace of strength left him altogether. Whether he would make it home in time or not depended on his ability to get across the beach, over the field, and through the town. And then what? Home wasn't exactly just on the other side of that door under the clock tower...

The Lost Woods...

Maybe he wouldn't make it back...

A horse's neigh broke through his growing despair. Link almost smiled in relief, but his pain still restrained him. Hoofbeats on sand sounded, though Link more felt it through the earth than he did hear it. He glanced over at his Zoran self, or Mikau, whoever it really was. The apparition had finished playing the tune, and was now calmly staring at him as the coming horse's galloping drew nearer. The Zora's presence began to fade, and though Link knew his ghostly companion was leaving, he felt calmness slowly flow through him.

The Zora nodded to him just as it disappeared altogether, and then the hoofbeats suddenly stopped, followed by a spray of sand as the horse skidded to a halt. Epona's neigh resounded from directly above. Link closed his eyes as his steed nudged him gently. He winced. Gentle though the touch may have been, the pain still intensified in his injured body.

But he had to get up and on his horse somehow. Mikau's spirit had brought him out of the water and played Epona's Song, and he didn't want that effort to go to waste. It was, after all, quite difficult for a spirit to manifest, not to mention play music and interact with the physical.

Link drew one long breath and steeled himself. To his knees. That was his first goal. He had to just get to his knees. Ignoring the pain for an instant, he rolled back over onto his stomach. Step one finished. Now he had the minute to think about his pain. He grunted as the wound in his midsection flared in protest to the pressure of Link lying on it. Maybe if he could just stand, he could alleviate the pain.

Gritting his teeth, he clenched his fists and put forth the greatest effort he could. He was on his knees. And then he was on one knee. Pushing one more time, he fell all the way down, face in the sand.

His head was swimming, telling him only that he had tried too much too quickly. His consciousness faded.

* * *

_No idea when I'll have the next chapter ready._

_If you're interested, let me know!_

_If you see an error, let me know!_

_See you next time..._


	2. Caught

_I knew it would take me a little while, with life being busy and all that typical stuff, but I managed to crank out another chapter._

_And btw, I own nothing from LoZ. Except these fanfics._

* * *

**Caught**

_Time__ :10_

"What are you humans trying to pull this time? Kid, if you're trying to pass as just an innocent little boy, the sword and shield are not helping. What do you want? It's useless to continue prying and attempting to infiltrate our land. You will not steal anything from us!"

"I didn't come to steal," the boy in green replied honestly, taken aback by the stern reception. "I just want answers."

"Make it fast. I'm in no mood to converse with humans."

Link stared at the tall Zora that stood before him on the beach, confused. It was true that this was a proud species, but the Zoras had never failed to show courtesy. Until now. Why the change? He was trying hard to figure out the shift in behaviour of the races of Termina, but it was taking a lot of time. He had to go at it indirectly if he was to get anywhere. Otherwise, he'd hit a wall of indignation.

"The Gorons say that some of you stole a recent harvest of gold from the mountains."

"What do they know?" The Zora replied harshly.

"Nothing," Link replied. "Their elder admitted to me. It's all rumours."

The other exclaimed, flustered, "Why are they blaming us, then?"

"There has to be someone to blame."

"But why us? Why not you humans?"

"Because something has been stolen from us as well," Link said quietly. "Someone."

"We have our problems too. What of the Dekus? Surely you have considered them."

"Several monkeys from Woodfall have been killed." Link hoped the tide would turn soon and he would be able to resume his own questions. The Zora paused, seemingly considering what to say next.

Presently, he spoke. "Have you heard of our local band, the Indigo-go's? The star guitarist vanished some time ago. No traces, and he was never seen again. A similar event happened recently with the songwriter, Evan. He was missing for several days, but managed to return. He came badly wounded. Tell me boy, if we were trying to start a fight with all the others of our land, why would we attack one of our own? Civil war would not help in a battle of races."

"The pirates to the north," Link suddenly said.

"Exactly! Thank you, young sir!" The Zora said sarcastically. "It has taken you humans and Gorons long enough to find someone else to point the finger to."

Silence fell for a moment as the boy thought and the Zora looked on impatiently. Only a minute passed before the former spoke.

"I'll go investigate."

As Link turned to leave, the Zora called to him a final time. "Take one of those kayaks on the coast. It's about time for them to be put into some use. The waters near the pirates' fortress are infested with skullfish. Watch yourself, okay kid?"

"Sure thing," the boy replied with a wave as he trotted off. Normally, he would just shrug the comment off and dive right in, donning one of his choice masks. But the souls that those three special masks harboured were released when Link first left Termina all that time ago. He would have to settle with rowing to the fortress.

Despite having sat on the shoreline for who knows how long, the small boats were in near flawless shape. It took hardly any effort to push one into the water and hop on board. It was a new experience for Link, having never rowed his own boat before. He enjoyed it as he tested out the oars, finding a position most comfortable for him. He taught himself how to manoeuvre in the water and practiced paddling in a straight line. It was a chore for him to keep from veering to the left, but within minutes, he felt ready and set off to the north.

As he rowed, his thoughts gradually drifted away and dwelled on the current situation in Termina. The land was almost at war; the races nearly at each other's throats. The Gorons were furious with those outside of its mountain area. The Dekus had isolated themselves in hiding. The humans were lost in confusion, wanting to quell the tension, but not knowing how. The Zoras were impatient with the whole ordeal. Now Link was ready to put the pirates to the test. He was beginning to believe they were the instigators of it all. Evan's disappearance. The slaughtered monkeys. Zubora's death. Romani's abduction. What did the pirates have to show for all this? Perhaps they had a victim too, or perhaps they were behind everything.

Nevertheless who the mastermind was, Link found himself increasingly angry. He remembered how helpful those swamp monkeys had been, and how concerned a character Evan was for his fellow Zoras. He remembered Gabora's whimpering and groaning at the loss of his fellow smithy. And then Cremia's expression when she tried to tell him of Romani. Link recalled such a look back when the moon was falling. There had been many a cycle where he didn't stay at the ranch the first night, and let Them come. Cremia had been so filled with sadness at her little sister's condition. Yet it didn't compare to her demeanour today when he visited her. Cremia's sadness was paired with despair when he had arrived. Link was almost afraid to approach her; afraid to learn of what happened. When she saw him, however, her face lightened somewhat. She was still afraid, frightened out of her wits for her little sister, but she took hope and entrusted the job to him to find her. He swore to bring Romani back.

Link rowed with determination, and the kayak glided smoothly along the surface of the bay. He got the hang of it quite quick, and was rowing faster by the minute. He could see the stone outer wall of the fortress, where the entrance lay underwater. It shouldn't be too difficult. He could dive deeper than the last time he had adventured in Termina, two years ago. It was probably enough to get through to the inside.

Bubbles surfaced some ways ahead of him. Curious, Link leaned to the side and peered into the water. It was hard to make anything out, especially without a companion like Tatl or Navi with him. Tatl had been the one he most looked forward to reuniting with upon his return, but he had no idea where to look for her. There was no specific place in Termina where the faeries dwelled.

Without the customary warning from his companion, Link almost didn't see the skullfish racing up towards him. He caught sight of the red glow of its eyes just as it broke the surface, and he jerked his head out of the way. The fish whizzed by, slipping back into the water, leaving Link to concentrate on steadying the kayak. His sudden movement had upset the boat, and caused him to nearly panic as it rocked from side to side.

The skullfish attacked again, leaping at him with jaws open. Link was more prepared this time, and calmly let it sail by. He drew his sword and held it ready. The next attack would be the skullfish's last. He looked into the water to track down his enemy, trying to predict where it would come from next. As he focused in on the dirty water, Link froze at what he saw. There was a whole school of skullfish circling his kayak. His concern grew as he realized that two separate fish had jumped up at him rather than the same one. What if the skullfish were organized to attack all at once?

Link's enemy apparently didn't have a plan like that, as one after the other leapt out of the water, all attacking solo. Each was met with Link's blade, and each fell back into the water in pieces. The boy presently grew impatient with the skeletal fish, and took up his oars and attempted to row on, dodging an attack when needed. It didn't take him long to realize that they were leaping at him more frequently. He paused again and once more took up his blade. Skullfish had always been more bothersome than dangerous, but his concern was still increasing. Since when had these creatures learned to jump out of the water? Such a large school of skullfish...a desbreko; there must be a desbreko nearby. Link quickly pulled out his bow and fired several shots straight into the thick of the school. Most of his arrows hit something, as broken skeletons began to drift to the surface of the water. The rest remained, swarming around him.

A splash sounded behind him, and Link spun to see a skullfish aiming right for his head. The boy threw his arms up to protect his face, and the fish latched onto his right arm, biting hard and deep. Link let out a short cry as he tried to shake the creature off. It held firm. Keeping calm Link unsheathed his sword. He took care in his aim, and then severed the creature's spine with one swipe. The skullfish fell into the water, its body in halves. Link inspected his arm and noted that the creature had pierced the skin quite deep. In a burst of indignation, the boy shot more arrows into the water on the right side of his boat. Again, more of the skullfish were taken out. And then another, larger splash came from behind him.

Link twisted in his seat, sword already raised, but he was only prepared for a lightweight skullfish to come flying by. He definitely wasn't expecting the full-sized desbreko streaking towards him from directly below. The boy was caught off guard for an instant, and that was all that was needed. The creature caught him under his upraised arm, its mouth closing on half his arm and half his chest in one bite. The creature used its momentum to carry Link completely off the boat, and into the skullfish-infested water.

The boy remembered screaming as he was in the air for a split second, looking into the lifeless red eyes of his enemy. And then the water hit. He couldn't recall ever letting go of his sword or losing his shield, but they weren't there as he tried desperately to break loose and paddle up to the surface. Within seconds, he was running out of breath, and it didn't help that the desbreko had its school of skullfish following it, each charging at the boy, each taking an opportunity to harm him. Every passing second brought new pain from a different part of his body, and it was difficult to hold his breath through it all.

He couldn't resist for long. His struggling was taking up his air, which became more and more precious the further away he was taken from the surface. He could still see the light of the sun, but it was darkening. He was being dragged far underwater. Further and further down, down...down...

* * *

_Erg...dialogue...not my forte. Review and let me know what you think!_

_'Till next time..._


	3. Goron's Race

_Oops, completely forgot I had this chapter sitting around, just waiting for one more proof read. Well, I did it, and here's the result._

_Read on._

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**Goron's Race**

_Time__ :15_

He found his eyelids painfully heavy as he came to. Link grimaced as he slowly regained his bearings. All he could feel was the pain from his many wounds. Some were from the skullfish, but there had been more enemies he'd faced. More horrors he had seen…

Link gave himself a slight shake of the head. He didn't want to think about those dungeons. It was bad enough that he had just relived his encounter with the jumping skullfish. Now was the time to move, not to think, if he could. He had no idea how long he was out. Those flashbacks always seemed to stretch on for hours. But he forced himself to get up.

He felt slightly stronger now. Perhaps he could manage to get to Clock Town, at the least. But how would he get there? He remembered the wall that barred the way to Great Bay. There was no way of climbing over it, even if he weren't so injured.

Link had managed to rise to his knees, and lifted his head. Epona's long face was right in front of his own, staring him down. The boy sucked in a surprised breath, and then winced. His head lowered for another moment as he mustered his strength, and then he stood. He grabbed onto Epona's neck for support, but with legs as shaky as his were, he had no idea how he would mount. He slowly stepped over, facing that place on her back where he would usually sit. Link frowned, unable to even stand upright, let alone climb on. The boy tried anyway, trying to pull himself up with his arms.

Instead, the horse fell away under him, and he stumbled forward. Link gasped as he found himself falling, and then groaned loudly as he landed on what initially felt like a smooth log. It was Epona, lying down in the sand, her head craned to watch him with an expectant look. The boy understood the gesture, and situated himself properly, though it brought a great deal of pain to put any weight on his midsection. As soon as his hands seized the pony's mane, she jumped back up to her feet. The sudden jolting movement was unpleasant, but Link knew he just had to hold on. He hoped the horse was sensible enough to know what to do.

Epona started off suddenly, sprinting away from the beach. It was all Link could do to keep from falling, the shock from the motion was so strong. The horse ran with certainty; she seemed to know where she was going, somehow. Perhaps it was by habit. Link had already ridden this route countless times in his many ventures to the Great Bay and back. As they rode on, faster and faster, Link felt a dread begin to grow in him. The jump over that infamous wall would hurt. He prayed he was strong enough to handle it.

He was hardly ready when he felt Epona leave the ground. The two soared through the air, smoothly clearing the wall that barred the way for normal traffic. Any other day, the experience would be enjoyable, but now, with two painful open wounds marring his body, along with his sore joints and aching limbs, it only doubled the agony. Epona landed without breaking her stride, and actually ran on with a burst of new speed; but Link yelped at the jolt of landing, almost losing his grip. His eyes were half open, darkness gathering on the edges of his vision. He caught a sudden glimpse of a strange object. Link forced himself to see.

They were running beside a rapidly rolling boulder. A spiked boulder. Link's eyes narrowed in confusion. Beneath the grey spikes, the boulder was more of a tan colour, with varying textures. He had seen that before, something similar. He just couldn't put a finger on it. He couldn't think, his mind still cloudy and dull. But then a sole name sparked in his head. Darmani? Link looked back at the spinning boulder. That was a Goron racing beside them. Was Epona really going so fast as to keep pace with a Goron?

Link lowered his head, trying to let his face press into his horse's mane. There was no comfort there. Epona's whole body was in motion as she galloped on.

The world was rocking so violently, it was a wonder he never passed out. He clung as tight as he could to his steed, swallowing down the pain with eyes clenched shut. The air raced by him swiftly as Epona kept pace with the speeding Goron beside her. At this rate, he would be at Clock Town in record time. But the horse ran on. Link peered up, and saw that they were running alongside the walls. Epona had already passed up two of the city gates, and would be passing by the Milk Road momentarily. So it seemed that the horse didn't know where to go after all.

And then Link heard her voice.

"Hi, Grasshopper, you made it back okay!"

…Romani…she had found her way back…why was she still in the Field?

"…right?" She called again as he continued to canter by. "…hey, what happened to your hat?"

His hat...?

"Hey!" Romani's voice instantly filled with concern…and desperation. "LINK!"

Epona didn't slow, and the boy had no strength to reply. He glanced back at her once, watching her begin to give chase.

No, Romani…go home. Get to Cremia…

Link couldn't find his voice to call out, and Epona quickly put a large gap between the two as she continued to run around the town, clueless as to where to stop. The boy felt his grip steadily weakening as he began to lose his presence of mind. His thoughts were centred on Romani. And what she had said. His hat?

The boy's mind drifted, and confusion took hold of his consciousness as he wondered about rather petty things. When did he lose his hat? After years of battling on all different kinds of fronts, he had never lost it. Where could have it gone all of a sudden?

He didn't realize he was blacking out until he was already halfway off his steed. Link slid off, and the ground seemed to come up at him in slow motion, though he still landed hard. With all the momentum of riding Epona, he tumbled several feet before coming to rest. Link didn't move, but absentmindedly watched Epona and Darmani continue on, the former disappearing around the corner of the town, the latter disappearing into thin air.

And then Link only saw black.

* * *

_This story's moving pretty slow for me, but I know I'll manage to finish it someday. It is, after all, one of three fics I'm actively working on._

_As always, a good constructive review is my main motivation here, so please leave one before you leave, would ya?_

_Until next time._


	4. Trapped

_Uhm...woops..._**  
**

_Okay, seriously...sorry. Didn't think it would take six months to get this chapter posted up. Don't really have much of an excuse except for a really depressing bout of writer's block. I think I'm finally getting over it now, being that I managed to beat Majora's Mask with the Fierce Deity at long last... (no it didn't take me all this time to beat the game...i just wasted most of my summer in Terraria, that's all)_

_Ok...back to reading!_

* * *

**Trapped**

_Time__ :25_

The sound of burning torches came to him. He was in a dungeon cell.

Nothing too out of the ordinary.

In times past, a situation like this wouldn't be that much of a headache. The annoying part was getting caught by lurking guards more than once while wandering around. In the first few seconds of observation, however, this situation did seem a little out of the ordinary. Link slowly got to his feet, and approached the door. It was as he expected: the door to his cell was unlatched. Link pushed the door open and stepped out into the hall cautiously, waiting for a blade trap or something of that kind to spring out at him. There was no sign of any guards or traps.

Still, the corridor's silence and emptiness was the perfect setting to put the boy on edge. Link looked left and right to make sure the coast was completely clear, and then decided to go to the left. He made his way slowly, his aching body reminding him of his injuries. Deep puncture wounds dotted his left shoulder from where the desbreko had previously grabbed him.

A strange sense of dread began to well up in Link. Whoever had captured him –he assumed it was the pirates– seemed to be content with letting him wander loose. Link wondered why. Was there something else on the run down here with him? He decided it was best to escape as quickly as he can, and not try to find all of his weapons as usual. He was, after all, still bleeding. Still wet from his dunk in the water, for that matter. All he cared about at the moment was getting out of there without further trouble.

Behind the door at the left end of the hall was a simple square room. There were no switches, no windows, nothing showing any signs of getting out. Except the chest in the centre of the room. Link approached it figuring that he might as well see what it held while he was still here. Prying the lid open, he peered inside.

Link smiled when his eye caught the gold glint of his hookshot. He lifted it out of the chest and held it up to inspect it. At first glance, he could tell it hadn't been tampered with, just confiscated. He paused in thought, wondering what his enemy could possibly have in mind for him. He had hardly been awake for ten minutes and already he was set for a small-scale fight. What were his captors thinking by this? He noticed the silver glint next. There was something else in the chest.

A key.

Taking advantage of it, Link stashed the item along with his hookshot. He exited the room the way he came, and scanned the corridor over once again. All was quiet except for the cackling of torches; all was motionless save for the flickering of the flames. Link ventured on, down the hall, and to the door on the other side. Behind the door was another hall, which turned out to be a rather densely packed prison block. Link again carefully strolled up the corridor, taking the time to check each cell he passed. They were all locked, though empty. The boy thought this quite ironic, remembering how his own cell was left unlocked.

Link passed through the prison unhindered, until he reached the final cell. A small, quivering figure was curled up in the corner of the little chamber. A long wave red hair obscured the figure's features, yet the hair itself was a dead giveaway for Link. He pressed up against the locked bars of the cell, filled with an odd mixture of joy and fear.

"Romani!" He called.

It was indeed the girl. She jerked her head up in response to her name. Romani's face lit up when she saw the boy at her cell door. She showed no further reaction; however, understandably holding back. Link rattled the bars of the prison for a short moment before remembering the key he had just obtained. Just as he let go of the bars to fish out the item, the door to the cell slowly drifted open. Link glanced up curiously, wondering why the cell wasn't locked. He looked to Romani for an explanation, but she seemed still too shocked by his arrival. He expression was hopeful, but at the same time sceptical. She wanted to believe that Link meant certain escape, and yet, she was filled with doubt.

Link pushed the door open cautiously, waiting for the next trap of the dungeon to spring. Perhaps a new enemy would come streaking down the hall. Perhaps the blade traps would finally go off. Yet now that he had found Romani, he cared less about stealth and took it upon himself to do whatever he could to get her back to her sister.

The boy stepped softly over to where his friend sat, quickly inspecting her condition. Romani seemed to be in good health, though her face and arms were marred with bruises, along with a noticeable cut on her forehead. Despite this rather reassuring state, Link asked her, just to be sure.

"Are you alright? Did they hurt you anywhere?"

"Romani's okay," the girl replied quietly, finding her voice. Link's arrival still seemed too good to be true for her. But of course, the hero didn't believe there was time to let her recover. He was still confused as to why the occupied cells were the only ones unlocked. Perhaps it was that their captors thought he and Romani would have been unconscious for a longer period of time, or that they would be so overcome by fear that they would cower in a corner and not even attempt escape. The latter was the more probable, seeing how Romani still sat on her heels in front of him, unmoving. He did not want her to be in that state any longer.

Link reached forward and took both of Romani's hands in his own, and pulled her up to her feet.

"It's time to go," he said as he began leading her out of her cell.

The girl asked curiously, "Where? Do you know the way out?"

"We'll find out as we go."

Without further hesitation, the two quickly reached the end of the hall, and entered the next room. Link paused to scan the place with his expert eye. It was a circular room, with iron-plated walls and a steel stairwell in the middle. There was nothing else save a few torches. The children had the option of either ascending the staircase or delving deeper into the dungeons. Considering they were most likely in the pirates' base, and that going deeper would mean nearing the water, Link decided to go up. Romani followed without hesitation, her sharp eye ever watchful of their surroundings.

The two followed the staircase up several floors. Link's hope was that they would find some lookout or anything of that sort to help them get their bearings and consequently find a way out. As they climbed, however, he grew increasingly anxious about their surroundings. Why hadn't any enemy shown itself at all? Had they been abandoned in some sort of labyrinth to starve and die? Or were they being saved for some other purpose? Why Romani? Clock Town was just as easy a target, even with the guards at the gates. One of the Bomber Boys could have just as easily been picked off. Why did these pirates go all the way up the Milk Road?

Link thought about Them. That night he spent guarding Romani from those mysterious phantoms in the dark still nagged at Link's thoughts every now and again. Romani said They were going after the cows, but Link remembered distinctly during his many cycles where he skipped out on that night. They had taken her and done something to her. What did They do? Could the pirates' kidnapping of Romani be related?

After several minutes of troubled thinking, Link realized he was no longer walking up stairs. They had reached the top floor. Whether they were located at the top of a lookout tower, or had just risen from the depths of the deepest dungeon, Link had no idea. But he was sure the answer was very close.

"Okay!" Romani suddenly blurted. Her spirits seemed to have risen along with their ascent up the floors. She scampered forward to the edge of the room. "Let's see where we are, Grasshopper!"

Link smiled warmly at the nickname, reassured that the girl was still herself. He hurried after her as she ran towards the single door of the room. Romani stopped short, however, and groaned loudly.

"The door's locked."

The boy smirked and calmly walked forward, glad that he found a use for the key. As soon as the chains unwound from around the door and the lock fell to the ground, Romani threw the door open.

Link frowned as he took in the environment. It was obvious they were in some pirate hideout now. The room was almost exactly like one of those he had entered when he was hunting for the Zoran eggs. Yet the place was empty, and there was nothing lurking in the waters of the tank on the opposite side of the room. It was uncanny.

"There! See that, above the water tank? That's probably it." Romani said, pointing towards a small hole up in the wall. She turned to her companion. "Don't you have anything to get up there with?"

Link promptly showed his hookshot, drawing a smile from the girl. She took it and turned back towards the high-set window.

"It's perfect," she said brightly as she aimed it for the wood directly above the tank. Romani quickly shot the hook and held on with both hands as it jerked her up onto the grate that covered the opening of the tank. Turning once again to Link, she carefully tossed the hookshot down to him, and then walked back to the hole in the wall. She poked her head in for a moment before facing the boy, her face beaming. "Romani sees sunlight up there, Grasshopper! Don't fall too far behind now!"

With a giggle, she crawled into the tunnel that held their only window to freedom. Link gave a slight smirk as she disappeared into the hole, and proceeded to shoot the hook into the wooden ceiling. He was hauled all the way up, and quickly yanked out the claw to let himself fall to the grate. But whatever happened next came too fast for even Link to register. One second the grate was there, but the next instant it wasn't. He fell straight into the water. By the time Link surfaced again, the tank had been sealed once more, leaving him stuck under bars.

Panic welled up in him, and Link dropped the hookshot in favour of grabbing the grate above. "Romani," he called, his voice choked with concern. He swallowed and tried again, this time stronger. "Romani!"

It occurred to him then that by what she said, Romani was probably trying to see how well he could keep up with her. Which meant she was going as fast as she could, since Link would be right behind her in an instant. Frustrated that this final gleam of hope had been ripped away from him, Link shook the bars that held him prisoner in the water.

"Romani!" He cried out, louder than before. There was probably nothing she could do to help him, but even seeing her would be reassuring. He wasn't quite sure why.

A new thought occurred to Link, escalating his anxiety. He let go of the bars, and inspected the waters he was trapped in. Surprisingly, it was empty, but that made no sense. Certainly those who held him in here meant harm, but where was the desbreko? Or the shell razor?

His questions weren't long in answering. The sand was shifting at the bottom of the tank. Dread filled Link once more as he saw what was burrowing up. Red eyes and bleached bodies. The boy turned back to the grate above him, shaking the bars out of pure desperation while the animated bones surfaced beneath him. He remembered pain as the creature seized his leg in its jaws. He remembered how its teeth bore deep into his calves as it suddenly jerked him underwater. He only had time to open his mouth in shock and pain, but by the time he took a breath, his mouth was full of water. It was only mere seconds before his body was completely limp.

* * *

_Right... I have more time on my hands for the next few weeks so I'll do my best to get more chapters out sooner..._


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